Omega 3’s are polyunsaturated fatty acid and has various health benefits such as it normalizes and regulates our cholesterol level, helpful in prevention of coronary artery disease, helpful in prevention of premature death from cancer, parkinson’s disease and rheumatoid arthritis.
We can get omega 3 from both plant and animal sources. The primary animal sources are fish oil and other marine sources. Most of the health benefits of omega 3 are linked to the animal based EPA(eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA(docosahexaenoic acid). DHA and EPA are long chain fatty acids, DHA are needed for making brain cells in children and regeneration of brain cells in adults.
The plant based sources such as flaxseeds, canola oil, walnuts are linked to ALA(alpha linolenic acid). Furthermore ALA is converted into EPA and DHA in our body at a very low ratio. Even if we consume large amount of ALA, our body can convert only small amount of ALA into EPA and DHA, and only when there are sufficient enzymes. In that case you can combine animal and plant based omega 3’s to get the wholesome benefits. According to the recent study reveals that consuming certain omega 3 supplements during pregnancy can reduce the risk of childhood asthma by almost one third.